Alice 19th Fan Fiction ❯ Healing the Heart ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 8 )

The inner heart is a reflection of how a person views the world. For example, if a person views the world as a prison, there could be something to keep them trapped in their inner heart. Now, this girl's heart was a winter paradise. It was just cold enough for soft snow to fall. The lakes and rivers were covered in a thick layer of ice that could be easily skated on.

 

Alicia, Chris, and Andrew stood on the roof of the school. The first two girls were like statues, just standing there frozen by the door. The middle girl was no where in sight.

 

“This is her inner heart. She could be just about anywhere.” Chris started to survey how big the world was. “If we're going to search the entire world, then we should probably split up.”

 

Andrew smirked. “Fine. But Alicia should go with one of us.” He put his arm around her. “She can come with me.”

 

Alicia shook her head. “This won't end well…” she muttered to herself.

 

Chris frowned. He walked over to Andrew, took his arm off her, and said, “I think she should come with me. I know her better.”

 

Alicia sighed softly. `And so starts the back and forth argument. Maybe I'll look around some.'

 

“But I`m her classmate and friend.” Andrew said.

 

“I'm her housemate.” Chris countered.

 

“So? I'm older and could protect her better.”

 

“But she trusts me more.”

 

“WHAT?! I dare you to say that again.” Andrew growled, glaring daggers, forks, and knives at Chris.

 

“Okay. She trusts me - hey. Wait a second.” Chris looked around. “Alicia's gone.”

 

Andrew looked from side to side. He and Chris were the only people on the roof. “Oh my.” He sighed. “We need to find her before she gets into trouble.”

 

They ran down the stairs and started to search the inner heart for Alicia. They didn't split up, however, because neither one trusted the other to tell him when the found her.

 

*~*~*

 

Alicia had wandered far away fro the school. She was in what she thought was park not to far from Chris's mansion. A large, frozen lake was not far away. There were trees everywhere, all without leaves and covered in icicles.

 

“I wonder if they realize that I've left them.” she chuckled. “Probably not. Maybe they'll be able to put aside their differences when they notice.”

 

As she walked around the lake, she heard something. It sounded like an announcer. “-Ice Skating Championship. Now for our next competitor. Please welcome Miss Ali Rose!” he shouted. The sound of the crowd carried all the way to where Alicia stood.

 

She followed the noise all the way to the far side of the lake. As she closer, she saw a sign that read 4th Annual Ice Skating Championship.

 

“This must be where that girl is. This is the only place I've found people.” Alicia slowly began to approach the ice. Sure enough, the girl that had pushed her off the roof was standing on the ice in a silver skating outfit and white skates. But something was off. Her left leg was covered in blood. Her left leg was covered in blood!

 

That didn't seem to stop her though. She skated faster and faster behind her. Then a black swan appeared behind her.

 

`What the hell?! Is that a mara?”

 

It flew around as if to protect her from something. Its eyes began to glow red. When Ali looked at her, her eyes were glowing red as well.

 

“Oh no…” Alicia whispered. She tried to turn and run but found that she couldn't move. Her body was paralyzed.

 

“Dara!” Ali yelled. Gale forced winds enveloped Alicia. She screamed as the wind tore at her clothes and skin. The pressure forced all the wind from her lungs.

 

`I can't breathe. Please…help me…'

 

Somehow, she found the ability to move. She kneeled and anchored herself to the ground by tightly gripping a pole. `Oh no. This is not good. I can't hold on for much longer.' She screamed as a wind shear sliced her right below her collarbone. “Andrew! Chris! HELP ME!”

 

With her last scream, the air in Alicia's lungs had been forced out. Her vision began to fade. Slowly, her grip on the pole fell slack. The wind tore her up from the ground and tossed her to and fro.

 

“SHIBI!” The winds receded and Alicia fell right into Andrew's arms. He carefully lowered her to the ground and checked her to see how bad her injuries were. Alicia laid there, perfectly still. Her skin was a deathly pale, sharply contrasting the deep red blood from her wounds.

 

Chris looked at Alicia fearfully. “Is she okay.”

 

“I don't know.” Andrew sighed.

 

“What do you mean you don't know!” Chris yelled. He quickly put up a shield to block them from more attacks.

 

“I mean she should be fine. Her breathing is normal. The only injuries she has are the dozen or so cuts on her body but she's not waking up.”

 

The black mara had grown tired of their talking and decided to up its attacks.

 

“Riiya.” Andrew jumped off the ground. “I'll hold them back. Get her to wake up.”

 

Chris didn't need to be told twice. “Jiva.” The cuts quickly vanished without leaving a trace of their existence. “Come on Alicia. I know you're stronger than this.”

 

Alicia laid there as still as can be.

 

“Come on Alicia. Wake up.” he begged. “You can't do this to me or Andrew. You can't leave us.” A soft light glowed from his bracelet. The twelfth word of the Lotus, san, appeared on her forehead.

 

The light covered her body. Her sapphire blue eyes blinked once, then twice, then three times. Then they turned to look at him. “Chris?” she whispered.

 

Chris was so happy he could have cried. “Thank goodness.” He tuned back to Andrew. “Hey! She's awaked!”

 

“Good. Now back to the matter at hand. We have to exercise Little Miss Skater before the mara steals her soul.” Andrew said.

 

Chris helped Alicia walk over to where he was. Even though her cuts were healed she was still very sore. “What should I do?” she asked.

 

“Just think of any word that could exorcise the mara.” Chris said.

 

“But I don't know any words.” Alicia began to panic. She would just get in the way. She had no power.

 

Andrew turned around and looked directly at her. “Fool! Do you think you could use the Lotis if you had no power. If you keep talking like that, that girl will be consumed by the mara!”

 

Whatever Alicia thought that Andrew would say, it wasn't that. “Okay.” She thought of what would have led Ali to fall to mara. Well, her boyfriend had dumped her for someone two years younger than her, Alicia herself, but that would make anyone mad. She had a lot of friends do that couldn't be it. Wait…

 

Alicia looked up. There was blood dripping down Ali's leg. “That's it! Jiva!” A warm light flowed from her body and covered Ali. The blood dried up and disappeared. With a shriek, the mara fell back and disappeared.

 

“Yes! Way to exorcise mara!” Andrew yelled. He pulled her into a tight embrace.

 

Chris walked up beside them. “Congratulations.”

 

They then turned their attention to Ali. She was sitting dazed in the ice. Alicia walked up to her. “I'm not sure what caused the mara to possess you, but if you ever have a problem, you can talk to me.”

 

Chris was impressed. Alicia didn't seem to be the most forgiving person on the Earth, but she could forgive this girl.

 

With a flash of light, the inner heart disappeared. They were back on the school roof. The first two girls looked around stunned then ran back into the school.

 

Andrew bent down and picked up Ali. “I'll take her to the nurse's office.” He walked down the stairs and back into the school.

 

Alicia and Chris started to follow him when they heard clapping behind them.

 

“Well done Lotis masters.”